Can-holder



(No Model.)

A. L'. WHITTEMORE'.

' l 'GAN HOLDER.

No. 502,897. Patented Aug. 8, 1893.

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UNITED STATES )PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR-L. WHITTEMOEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAN-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,897, dated August8,1893.

Application filed February 17, 1893. Serial No. 462.697. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. WHITTE- MORE, of Boston, county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inCan-Holders, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures onthe drawings representing like parts.

People in cities and towns who receive milk delivered by milkmen in cansare much annoyed by the frequent loss of cans left at their doors, thecans being stolen before the usual rising hour of the servants.

I have devised a can-holder to prevent the can from being stolen, oreven overturned by accident.

My improved holder consists of a bolt controlled by a lock, the key ofwhich is always in the custody of the milkman, the inner end of the bolthaving co-operating with it a slotcloser, or being made to abut againstsome movable part of the house, as a door or window, as will bedescribed.

Figure l, shows my improved holder in use, it being represented asapplied to a door casing, the door being shown as closed; Fig. 2, anenlarged section on the line no; Fig. 3, a section in the line 00'; Fig.4, a section in the line x2; and Fig. 5, shows the `key detached. Fig. 6is a detail of the key handle.

The holder herein shown is composed of a case or shell d, having asuitable back piece a provided preferably with an attaching prong a2,and with a hole for the reception of a screw 0,3 by which to properlysecure the shell in place, the prong a2 also preferably serving as ameans for securing one end of a suitable chain or other strong flexibleconnection b. The case is adapted to receive a bolt composed, as shown,of two plates c, c suitably united by a rivet o2, the inner faces of theplates being cut away to receive a dog d, acted on by a spring d tonormally keep the outer end of the dog on the outside of the bolt in anotch cl2 of the back piece, the boltA at such time being retained inthe casing with its inner end in cont-act with a suitable slotcloser,which may be a pin or projection m 5o extended through the back pieceyasshown not be taken away except by a person having a proper key, carebeing taken that each milkman has a key for his line of customers whichdiffers in shape from the key of other milkmen on his route. AS hereinshown, the two parts of the bolt -are bored to form a cylindrical spaceor chamber g in which are suitably located the wards f of any desirednumber, it being understood that the shapes of the blades of the' keyswill be varied at pleasure, and that the notches f will be properlylocated to adapt them to the location of the wards under whateverarrangement, this being well known to lock-makers. The end of thechamber, as herein shown, has a socket 2 to receive the teat 3 at vtheinner end of the key blade, the latter, when turned in the chamber,-thenotches and wards then necessarily coinciding,-causing one of theshoulders 5 of the key blade to act on the part 6 of the dog cl and.withdraw it from the opening d2, which done, the milkman may pull thebolt outwardly from the slot-closer, the key remaining in the bolt untillthe stop h meets the case, such partial withdrawal of the bolt enablingthe ring b of the connection to be freed and' the empty can to be takenoff by the milkman, he leaving a f ull can, and also leaving the boltretracted.

In some neighborhoods, mischievous persons take the filled cans beforethe rising time of the servants, and it is desirable at times to preventthis.

In some places customers are willing to have the holder so located thatthe can cannot betaken oit by an unauthorized person without opening adoor or window, or moving away from the end of the-back piece somemovable part of the building.

In the drawings the case is representedas will leave the bolt pushedfully in, and the servant, when putting out the can at night,

the door being open, will put the ring b over the end of the bolt andclose the door, thus i bolt, a case therefor, a slot-closer toc0-opsecurely locking the can in place.

The milkman on his arrival Will retract the bolt, take off the can,supplya filled can, 'put the ringin position, and push the bolt into itup substantially to the door, the dog d locking the bolt in place, sothat the filled cani cannot be removed until the servant opensl thedoor, or it may be, raises the Window.

To prevent children or others from tampering with the holderl and`pulling it outof the case, I have provided a second notch lO, which,when the bolt has been retracted sufficiently to permit the removal ofthe ring, will engage said notch and prevent the further retraction `ofthe bolt even should the stop h be removed, but the inward movement of`the bolt `will not be restrained by such notch, because of the bevel atthe end of the dog.

In all the different positions in which the holder has to be applied atdifferent places, that is, on one or the other side of the door orWindow frame, or in corners, dac., it becomes expedient, if notabsolutely necessary, i to provide a novel key, that is, one in which jthe handle portion may occupy dierent `positions with relation to theblade, so that the key may be operated with the greatest ease andrapidity. To do this, the outer end of the 1 blade has been providedwith a circular or` sector -like head provided with "suitable l notches12 which are adapted to be engaged' by a locking device `13, hereinshown as a springpressed pin placed in a suitable notch The milkman onarriving at a house can` readily change the angle \of the blade withrelation to the handle of -the key to thus `put the blade in position toreadily enter thebolt and leave the hand of the milkman in the mostadvantageous position to turn the key readily no matter what thelocation lof the holder, `as in use the key Will be kept on `the fingercontinuously.

It will loe understood that this invention is notlimited to theexactshape shown for the case, or for the blade or its dog, or to the shapeshown for the key, as all these parts may be changed in shape in variousmanner In this latter application ot' my device, the milkman Without theexercise ot' invention and yet be within the scope of this invention.

It will be obvious that a vertically moving Window sash will performreadily the functions described for the door in stopping the slot orspace between the end of the casing and the end of the bolt.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A can-holder consisting essentially of a erate with the inner end ofthe bolt When protruded, and a connection under control of the bolt toretain a can, combined with a locking device concealed within the casefor and to maintain the bolt protruded,a key to act upon said device tounlock the bolt, and a retaining device to connect the key and boltWhile the bolt `is unlocked, movement of the key at such time moving thebolt longitudinally in the case, substantially as described.

2. A canholder consisting essentially of a bolt,a case in which it ismovable, and a slotcloser, combined with a connection underthe controlof the bolt to retain a can, the inner end of the bolt being `adapted toco-operate with the slot-closer to retain the Aconnection in its lockedcondition, and with a locking dog for the bolt and a key to release saiddog to thus enable the bolt to be Withdrawn by the holder of the key,substantially as described.

3. A can-holder consisting essentially of a bolt having a key receivingopening, a retaining device therein, a locking dog for the bolt, a casein which said bolt moves, and a connection under the control of the boltto retain the can, the inner `end of the bolt being adapted to abutagainst or terminate next a movable part of a building and beheld in'such position by the dog, the movement of said part to open it exposingthe inner end of the bolt for'the removal of the can from the saidconnection, combined with a key adapted to enter the opening `in thebolt to release the dog, the retaining device holding the key Vin placeWhile the bolt isunlockedsubstantially as described.

et. `In a can-`holder, a case having tvvo notches, combined with a boltprovided with a key receiving opening, and a spring actuated dog adaptedto be moved against the action of the spring by a key inserted in saidopening, one of said notches being engaged by the dog when the bolt isin 4operative condition, the other notch engaging the dog when the bolthas been unlocked, to prevent the Withdrawal thereof from the case,substantially as described.

5. A can-holder, consisting of a case, a bolt adapted to slide thereinand `provided With a spring-actuated dog, a lieXible` connectionconnected Withlsaid case and adapted `to co-op IOC IZO

erate with the end of thebolt, a key consistname to this specificationin the presence of ing of a blade provided with, a pivoted head, twosubscribing witnesses. and a locking device intermediate the handle andblade to enable the angle of the bladen ARTHUR L' WHITTEMORE' 5 bechanged with relation to the handle, sub- Witnesses:

stantially as described. GEO. W. GREGORY, In testimony whereof I havesigned my M. J. SHERIDAN.

